Now that the fall sickness epidemic, including COVID-19, is in full swing, users are sharing on social media that their watches are registering abnormal respiratory rates and elevated body temperatures days before they develop full-blown cold symptoms . “The Vitals app knew I was sick 3 days in advance,” one Reddit user posted. Others in the post reported that other watches with blood oxygen, heart rate, and temperature sensors did the same thing.
This smart watch premonition has been going on for a while; users have been noticing that “the Apple Watch knows I [had] “I knew about COVID-19 before I knew it” for at least three years, since the device launched a wrist temperature feature on the Apple Watch Series 8. and other diseases to provide accurate early warning.
The Vitals app, which ships with the latest watchOS 11 on Apple Watch Series 8 models and above, is particularly useful because it provides comprehensive visibility into multiple metrics and can even send notifications of anomalies. Numerous reports have shown its potential as a cold and flu season tool.
X user Posted by Rory Evans Days before testing positive for COVID-19, his Series 9 noticed some abnormalities in his vital signs, calling the tool “smart and very useful technology – especially in such a fast-paced world.” X User Emmanuel Job Ayo Posting a screenshot showing “outliers” from Vitals and calling them “crazy”, the app can “detect and warn you before you get sick”.
Other Reddit users reported that the app showed outliers after they received the coronavirus vaccine, and some even saw the effects of drinking too much. X user Posted by Valerie Pollard She was “very impressed” with the Vitals app: “My watch told me that some indicators were unusually high this morning and the underlying cause could be illness. A few hours later, I had a fever!”
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When your watch learns your biometric data, such as your typical body temperature, breathing rate, and even how long you close your eyes each night, it knows your normal ranges. So while your typical sleep heart rate isn’t a particularly useful data point on its own, a combination of indicators can show when something is out of the ordinary and help you tune into your body and potentially seek medical assistance.
Unfortunately, blood oxygen (a key metric for COVID-19) is not one of the metrics Vitals tracks in the United States. Remove the light-based pulse oximeter sensor.
Apple told Well+Good they can’t officially comment on these anecdotes, but it’s worth noting that the watch was recently approved by the FDA to treat sleep apnea, another condition where any advance warning could help people Be proactive about your health. Apple is also working with researchers to use blood oxygen data from Apple Watch to study the first year of the coronavirus pandemic. When it comes to fighting anti-virus, information and warnings are power.
